


Hope

by marigoldtragedy



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Bittersweet, Car Accidents, Gen, Gunshot Wounds, Major Character Injury, Missing Persons, Missing in Action, Non-Graphic Violence, Post-Series, Slight Canon Divergence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-01
Updated: 2020-12-01
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:47:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,937
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27821755
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/marigoldtragedy/pseuds/marigoldtragedy
Summary: Daisy reminisces about the team and how things change and end.
Relationships: Leo Fitz/Jemma Simmons, Lincoln Campbell/Skye | Daisy Johnson
Comments: 2
Kudos: 6





	Hope

**Author's Note:**

> This was written several years ago and I have not finished the series so please forgive any inconsistencies with the story or timeline. 
> 
> Thank you for your interest and please enjoy!

Daisy had once said she wanted nothing to lose. Once upon a time, she would have said that memories of the good times weren’t worth the pain of loss. She once distanced herself from people she’d loved because of that. It was then that she realized that living your whole life lonely and numb was far worse. Once upon a time, she’d found her way back to the people she loved and who loved her. And she’d lost them one by one.

There had been so many along the way. Trip, Bobbi and Hunter, Lincoln, and so many others. But, standing outside the lively two-story house, Daisy thought back to the original team.

She remembered those first days on the Bus; the original team six. Ward, who had been so strong and protective of the team. May, who had tried to refuse the offer so she could remain in a cubicle at S.H.I.E.L.D. Fitzsimmons, who had been so young and weren’t even cleared for action. Coulson, who was just looking for a way to fill a void that T.A.H.I.T.I had left. And Skye, a young, naive girl who had hacked her way into S.H.I.E.L.D from a van parked in an alley.

The first time she’d lost Ward, she felt nothing but anger. He had been more than her teammate, but his betrayal against the team hurt more than his betrayal of their relationship. It had been a constant fight between sadness and anger. The second time they’d lost him was at the hands of Coulson, who’d been overpowered by anger and grief. Then Hive came back wearing Ward’s face and, though she knew it wasn’t Ward, she still felt the pang of betrayal every time she looked at him. Hive had gone too, taking Lincoln with him; an act Daisy would never forget. The last she’d seen of Grant Ward had been in the Framework, and, though she knew it wasn’t really him, to have him help them was almost enough to atone for what he’d done. Almost.

Then there was May. She’d always been a badass. Daisy had seen it on day one. Daisy respected May’s desire to stay in the office once she’d heard the story of Bahrain, but she was grateful that fate had forced Agent Melinda May back onto the field. How many times had May been the one to save one of them? How much more death and destruction would have ensued had May refused to leave the peace and calm of her cubicle? Ward may have been Daisy’s S.O. but she’d learned so much more from May over the years. She looked up to the woman. She knew she’d always have someone to go to who would give her honest (though sometimes harsh) answers. Daisy thought she’d live forever. And maybe she would. Daisy wouldn’t know. She wasn’t sure she would ever know. “One last mission.” That’s what they’d said. “The Cavalry's last stand. After that, she’s done.” Daisy could never picture May retiring, but she wished she could have seen it. May went missing in action on the mission that was to be her last.

The first thing that came to mind when Daisy thought of Simmons was her smile. So strong and beautiful, she managed to smile through everything. Yes, she had grown so much from the biochemist she’d first met on the Bus, but her smile remained despite everything she’d been through. Daisy remembered Simmons’ days undercover at Hydra and her anger that they’d kept it secret from her and that they’d put Simmons in danger like that. Once Simmons was safely back at the Base and Daisy had begun to settle down, she’d been so proud of Simmons' work on that mission. She remembered losing Simmons to the Monolith. She remembered giving up and it made her heart ache, but she remembered getting Simmons back and it made her smile. She remembered the tension between them when she was tested positive as Inhuman. She was glad they’d been able to move past that. She remembered entering the Framework with Simmons and she had known then that they would be bonded by that experience like they had never been before.

Ward’s betrayal would have been enough to change Fitz from the light-hearted, innocent engineer that had first joined Coulson’s band of misfits, but Fitz had had to endure so much more pain and change than that. The hypoxia was only the first time they had to accept that Fitz had changed, but his dedication to the team could never be questioned. Daisy remembered his loyalty to her when she was adjusting to her newfound powers. She remembered hurting him on more than one occasion, but his devotion was unwavering and that’s what she loved about him. He always saw the good in people and, no matter how many times people hurt him, he refused to turn his back on them; he refused to close himself off.

She had been so honored to be the maid of honor in Fitzsimmons’ wedding. They’d been through so many horrible things yet they always managed to find each other. Daisy had always known they’d be together in the end. She was glad they’d finally gotten around to a wedding. After everything everyone had been through (especially those two), they deserved something to celebrate. They’d shared four years of that beautiful union before being killed in an automobile accident. Daisy had been angry that two agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. who were as intelligent and essential as Fitz and Simmons would be taken from them in such an ordinary way. Despite her anger, Daisy had been overcome by a swelling wave of pride for the admirable strength the two had and for the incredible agents they had become.

Coulson was the closest thing Daisy had ever had to family. She saw him as the father that Cal couldn’t be. She remembered the door of her van sliding open just before Ward and Coulson  _ kidnapped  _ her. She remembered her ‘ _ interrogation _ ’; Ward’s straightforward aggression and Coulson’s calm approach. She remembered all their bantering and teasing. She remembered faking reluctance to join Coulson’s team when he’d first asked and then her eagerness to join S.H.I.E.L.D when it wasn’t yet an option for a security risk such as herself. She remembered when he’d handed her a heavier-than-she’d-expected S.H.I.E.L.D badge. She remembered their disagreements and all the times she’d walked out on him; on the team. She remembered the times they supported each other and the reunions. He was family. She remembered his desperation when May went missing. She remembered him recklessly going after her. She remembered finding him bleeding out at the foot of a tree somewhere in Argentina. She remembered the bright lights and beeping monitors of the medical room. She remembered him dying despite the doctors’ attempts to bring him back.

Daisy couldn’t settle down; she just couldn’t. She’d moved past isolating herself because of the pain and the loss, but she still needed something. She needed action; a constant distraction. She was still an agent. She couldn’t imagine being anything else; not a wife, not a mother, just an agent. 

However, she still took vacations. After May, she never had. Even after Coulson she hadn’t. It wasn’t until after Fitzsimmons that she took regular vacations to the little house somewhere in Chatfield, England. 

She took a deep breath and made her way up the path, climbing up the stairs and onto the front porch. She knocked on the door. It was opened by a smiling young woman with a baby on her hip. “Daisy!” She perked up when she saw who was on the porch. “So good to see you again. Please, come in.” She stepped aside, opening the door wider.

The cozy home took her by surprise every time. It was as if every time were her first stepping into the hallway lined with pictures of smiling families and laughing children. She stopped at one of the pictures. She’d never noticed that one before. The woman, who’d closed the door and turned to find Daisy running her finger along the picture's frame, moved to Daisy’s side. “I just found that one downstairs.” Daisy jumped, startled. “Oh, I’m so sorry!” The woman reached out her free hand to touch Daisy’s shoulder. “I didn’t mean to frighten you.”

“No, you’re fine, Abby.” Daisy shook her head, still coming out of her daze. She glanced back at the picture. “When was this?”

“Oh, I can’t remember.” Abbey brushed past Daisy. “Had to have been when we were all still in school. My aunt had insisted on getting everyone back together. She thought it’d be cute if I took a photo with all my cousins.” She was suddenly at Daisy’s side again, staring reminiscently at the picture. “It isn’t too bad, is it?”

“No,” Daisy said, her voice distant. “It’s beautiful.” She reached up once more, fingertips just brushing the picture’s surface.

Abby smiled sweetly at Daisy. “She’d been reluctant to leave her studies.” She left again, roaming into the kitchen and raising her voice so Daisy could hear. “Kept talking loads of stuff none of us understood. We’d all been skeptical when she first joined that school for that crazy government agency of hers. She did love that place, though. When we finally convinced her to come, we began to regret it.” She laughed jokingly. “She kept talking about her projects and some boy she couldn’t stand. Should’ve known Jemma would end up marrying him.” She gave another laugh.

“Anyway!” She stood at the end of the hallway, beckoning Daisy further into the house. Daisy followed her to the dining room where they sat at the table, each with a cup of tea. The baby sat on Abby's lap, chewing his hand. “Hope should be home any minute now.”

Daisy and Abby busied themselves with small talk until they heard the front door opening and running footsteps approaching from the hall. “Aunt Daisy!”  Daisy stood up just as a little girl, curly brown hair up in pigtails, came into the dining room. “Hope!” She knelt as the girl ran into her arms and scooped the girl up. The girl giggled. She had her father’s eyes and her mother’s smile.

“I saw your car out front.” She said.

“What!?” Daisy mocked surprise. “They told me it was invisible.”

Hope giggled again, shaking her head. “Can we have another picnic for dinner?”

“Of course we can,” Daisy said. She glanced at Abby. “As long as it’s okay with Abby?”

“You two go and play in the backyard.” She smiled. “I’ll call you in when I have everything packed.”

“How ‘bout we take Patrick with us?” Daisy nodded towards the baby. Hope nodded. Daisy set the girl down, took the little boy from Abby, and led the way out the backdoor. 

Daisy sat in the grass with Patrick and watched the girl as she picked through the grass in search of insects. She came back to Daisy with something clasped between her hands. She dropped down in the grass beside Daisy and started telling Daisy all about it though the older was too distracted to really listen. Daisy pulled her close and kissed her head.

“I love you, little miss Fitzsimmons,” she whispered into the girl’s ear. Hope smiled, gently releasing the bug in her hands back into the grass and reaching up to wrap her arms around Daisy’s neck.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks again! Please leave a kudos and/or a comment to let me know what you thought! I'm always desperate for feedback (good or constructive).


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